UK immigration asylum seeker electronic tagging blasted

A UK immigration scheme launched by the Home Office, which electronically tags asylum seekers after they arrive in the UK, has been blasted by ministers and refugee charity organisations. The Home Office has been accused of ‘victim blaming’, while ministers have been urged to abandon the policy described as a ‘farce’ by rights’ group.

The new scheme has raised fears that those who avoided deportation to Rwanda could be the first to be tagged under the programme. Under the 12-month pilot scheme, some of the migrants arriving on UK shores aboard small boats or on the back of lorries from France will be tagged.

The Home Office said that the trial UK immigration scheme will assess whether electronic monitoring can help to maintain regular contact with migrants and help to progress their asylum claims. The tagging system will also collect data on how many people abscond from UK immigration bail.